Jersey native takes $7.5 million settlement from La Salle for severe brain injury incurred on football field

PHILADELPHIA -- A private university will pay $7.5 million to provide lifetime care to a former football player who suffered a severe brain injury in a 2005 game, allegedly after an earlier concussion went untreated.

The family of Preston Plevretes, 23, of Marlboro, settled their lawsuit against La Salle University on Monday, the day it was set for trial in Philadelphia.

The settlement came as the NFL, the NCAA and other governing bodies review rules about when athletes should return to play following concussions, amid research that suggests returning too soon can lead to brain damage.

NFL quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger of Pittsburgh and Kurt Warner of Arizona, who faced off in the last Super Bowl, both sat out Sunday after suffering head injuries, as did Philadelphia running back Brian Westbrook and others.

"Only in the past one to two years has there been the kind of attention placed on this matter necessary to force schools, colleges and the NFL to actually adhere to the well-promulgated and common-sense standards of the medical profession," Shanin Specter, a lawyer for the Plevretes family, told The Associated Press.

La Salle admits no wrongdoing with the settlement, which is covered by its insurance.

"From the time of Preston's injury, the university community, led by those who know Preston and his family, have been hoping and praying for his recovery. That hasn't changed," the school said in a statement.

Plevretes, then a 19-year-old sophomore, was injured when he took a hit while covering a punt in a 2005 game at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He was briefly knocked unconscious, then awoke and was combative for three to five minutes before lapsing into a coma, Specter said.

"That is the signature presentation of second-impact syndrome," Specter said. "A brain already concused from a prior concussion ... swells very, very rapidly and herniates while the player is still on the field."

Plevretes had emergency surgery in Pittsburgh to relieve brain swelling.

The lawsuit hinged on the family's claim that the earlier injury made him more vulnerable to the second, catastrophic blow. La Salle contends the injury stemmed solely from the Duquesne hit, Specter said. Several Duquesne defendants were dropped from the suit earlier.

According to the lawsuit, Plevretes endured helmet-to-helmet contact in an Oct. 4 practice, and took himself out of the next game in the fourth quarter, complaining of a headache.

Plevretes once dreamed of becoming a sports broadcaster, and now hopes to become a motivational speaker. However, he has so far recovered very little speech and instead communicates mostly through a keyboard. He needs assistance to walk even a short distance and suffers from short-term memory loss, Specter said.

"He and his family still love football. They realize that what occurred is a rare circumstance, but one that is preventable through proper medical attention after a concussion," Specter said.

La Salle revived its football program in 1997 after a 56-year absence, but shut the program down again in 2007, citing a shrinking number of foes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.